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{No Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 1.

A. WRENCH.

KINETOGRAPHIO CAMERA.

No. 587,516. Patented Aug. 3,1897.

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A. WRENCH. KINETOGRAPHIG CAMERA.

No. 587,516. Patented Aug. 3,1897.

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(Nb Model.) 3 Sheets-Sheet 3.

A. WRENCH.

KINETOGRAPHIG CAMERA.

No. 587,516. Patent ed Aug. 3,1897.

UNITED STATES PATENT OFFICE.

ALFRED \VRENOH, OF LONDON, ENGLAND.

KIN ETOG RAPH IC CAM ERA.

SPECIFICATION forming part of Letters Patent No. 587,516, dated August 3, 1897.

Application filed March 8, 1897. Serial No. 626,500. (No model.)

To rt/IZ whom it may concern.-

Be it known that I, ALFRED VVRENOH, a subject of the Queen of Great Britain, residing at London, England, have invented new and use ful Improvements in Kinetographs and in Cameras for Taking Kinetographic Pictures, of which the following is a specification.

This invention chiefly relates to improvements in kinetographs for projecting what are known as animated pictures onto screens; and the principal object of my invention is to provide improved mechanism for feeding the ribbon film through the machine. My improvements, however, are also applicable to cameras for taking kinetographic pictures.

According to my invention I provide what I term an intermittent disk -that is to say, a toothed disk on the spindle on which is mounted the toothed barrel or cylinder which feeds the ribbon film. This toothed disk is actuated by means of a spring-pawl mounted on a crank-disk or the like which revolves loosely on the feed barrel spindle. This crank-disk is driven backward and forward through a part of a revolution by a connecting'rod attached to a second crank-disk actuated from the main driving-spindle of the machine, so that the barrel-spindle is caused to move intermittently by means of the pawl. A second spring-pawl is advantageously provided for locking the intermittent disk when the first pawl is moving back-that is to say, while each picture is being projected onto the screen-and a pin or the like is provided on the crank-disk to disengage the said second spring'pawl at the required instant. I also provide what I term a feeder for the ribbon film instead of the upper tooth-barrel usually employed. My feeder consists of a plate pivoted on a spindle which is provided with a spring, so that the feeder keeps the ribbon film taut in front of the lens, but yields when the feed-barrel pulls on the said ribbon. The plate is provided with a spring plate or back to keep the ribbon film in position on the same. A drum is also advantageously pro- 'vided on which the ribbon film can be Wound after it has passed through the machine, and a plate is furnished to insure that the said ribbon film is removed from the toothed feedbarrel as it passes onto the said drum.

curved spring-plate holds the ribbon film against the feedbarrel, the said plate being pivoted in such a manner that it can be pulled back so as to allow the ribbon to be removed when desired.

To enable my invention to be fully understood, I will describe the same by reference to the accompanying drawings, in which Figure 1 is a sectional side elevation of apparatus constructed according to my invention; and Fig. 2 is a plan view of the same, partly in section. Fig. 8 is an end elevation, partly in section; and Fig. at is a side elevation, some parts being removed. Fig. 5 is a sectional side elevation illustrating a modification of my invention, and Fig. 6 is an end elevation of the same.

Similar letters of reference illustrate corresponding parts in the several figures.

a is one wall of the frame of the apparatus, and b is a screen or partition on the said frame, having in it an opening or aperture 0, past which the ribbon film is moved and of the size adapted to that of the pictures to be exhibited.

d is the lens or projector, and c is the shutter which serves to out off the light during the movement of the ribbon film, the said shutter having two blades or plates c c,which, as shown, form segments of the surface of a cylinder and which as the shutter is rotated are alternately brought opposite to the opening 0.

f is the ribbon film, g is the roller from which the same is drawn, and h is the roller upon which it is wound, the roller 9 being rotated under the pull of the film, while the roller h is positively rotated as hereinafter described.

i is the feed-wheel,havin g at or near its two ends the peripheral teeth j j, which engage with holes formed in the edges of the ribbon film to feed the same forward as the said feedwheel is rotated. This feed-wheel is mounted on a shaft 70, which projects through the wall a of the frame and has fixed on its outer end the ratchet-wheel Z, which constitutes the intermittent disk hereinbefore referred to. Intermittent motion is imparted to the shaft through the medium of the crank-disk a, carrying a spring-pawl m, engaging with the teeth of the said ratchet-wheel Z, the said crank-disk being loosely mounted on the shaft 7. and operated from the second crank-disk a through the medium of the rod n, which connects the two crank-disks together, the diameter of the disk n being considerably less than that of the disk m, so that the complete rotation of the former only produces an oscillation of the latter. The crank-disk n has gear-teeth upon its periphery and engages with a gear-wheel o, fixed upon a drivingshaft o,which carries the shutter c, and which receives its motion from any suitable source through the medium of, say, a belt running upon a pulley o The relative diameters of the wheels n and o, as shown in Fig. l, are as one to two, so that each revolution of the driving-shaft (during which two obscurations by the shutter take place) causes two oscillatory movements of the disk 77% and consequently two forward movements of the feed-wheel i, it being understood that the shutter is arranged in such relation to the other parts that during the time the ribbon film is being moved the shutter cuts off the light, and that each movement of the feed-wheel corresponds with the length of one picture.

1) is the spring-pawl, which performs the double function of preventing the backward movement of the intermittent disk while the disk 'm ,with its pawl, is moving backward and the forward movement of the said intermittent disk under the momentum of the connected parts. This pawl p engages with a ratchet-wheel p, fixed upon the shaft 75 and having a number of teeth corresponding with that of the ratchet-wheel 7. The free end of the said pawl is provided with a tooth q,which engages with the notches q, formed in the wheel 1). It will be readily understood by reference to Fig. 4- of the drawings how this tooth prevents the rotation of the wheel in one direction, while the pawl prevents the movement in the reverse direction. The said pawlp is moved to disengage the tooth g from the notch of the ratchet-wheel with which it is in engagement by the impingement of a pin 1 on the disk on against the pawl during the backward movement of the disk m in the direction of the arrow, Fig. s, so that during the next forward movement the pawl will again act to arrest the feed-wheel at the desired point. The tooth q upon the pawl prevents the backward movement of the feed wheel or barrel i during the backward move ment of the disk m, owing to the friction of the pawl in when sliding back over the teeth of the ratchet-wheel Z.

As hereinbefore stated, the drum 7L, onto which the ribbon film is wound after passing the opening 0, is positively driven. As shown in the drawings, this motion of the windingdrum 7i is effected through the medium of a belt '1', running on a pulley '7" on the end of the shaft 0 and on another pulley r on the shaft 8 of the said drum 71 As during the winding on of the film the diameter of the windingsurface will gradually increase I provide for allowing the said drum 7t to vary its speed as required by communicating the motion of the shaft 5 thereto through the medium of a spring-disk t, which bears against the side of the said drum with sufficient friction to cause the rotation of the said drum when required, while at the same time permitting the movement of the said drum independently of the shaft s.

In order to maintain the tension of the film, I provide a similar friction arrangement in connection with the shaft of the drum g, as shown at 11, Figs. 2 and i.

t indicates what I term the feeder, which feeder is a plate pivotally mounted upon a spindle v and acted upon by a spring 'L ,\Vl1l(:l1 tends to move the plate in a direction to maintain the ribbon film taut in front of the opening 0. This feeder is faced on its upper side with velvet or other material which will not injure the film when passing over it, and has arranged in conjunction with it a back plate 1 also faced with velvet and acted upon by a spring r, arranged under the end of a pivoted arm 1"", carrying the said plate t.

w is a presser hinged at w and serving to hold the ribbon film in close contact with the surface in which the opening 0 is formed, the said presser having formed in it an opening of the same size as the pictures to be exhibited. This presser has attached to it a rod it the upper end of which is screwthreaded and projects above the framing and carries a nut 20, engaging with a bracket u by means of which nut the said presser may be adjusted vertically in order to bring the opening a in exact coincidence with the pictures on the ribbon film. As this rod "LL73 is not quite in alinement with the axis of the hinge w, the bracket it" is provided with a curved slot, with which a groove on the nut 20 engages, to permit of the circular movement of the said red when the presser is turned upon its hinge to enable the film to be removed.

20 is a spring which bears upon the face of the said presser w to hold it in contact with the ribbon film, an opening 10 being formed in the said presser for allowing it to be turned back over the spring.

(U 10 are guide-pieces, between which the presser normally lies and which serve to guide the film 9:, Fig. 1, is the curved spring-plate which bears upon the ribbon iilm to insure the engagement of the teeth j j of the feed-roller with the holes in the edges of the said ribbon film, the face of the said spring-plate being covered with velvet or other material which does not injure the film. To the said plate is attached a pivoted ring 5v, projecting through a slot in the partition 1), the said ring serving for pulling the said plate out of contact with the band and, when turned through an angle of ninety degrees, holding it in its backward position.

ICO

1 is the plate which insures that the band shall be disengaged from the pins j j, and so be prevented from being carried around with the feed-wheel t'.

The apparatus hereinbefore described is especially intended for use in combination with a lantern for projecting pictures onto a screen. It is also applicable, however, in connection with a photographic camera for taking kinetographic pictures. In this case instead of employing a shutter of the kind shown in Figs. 1 and 2 it is necessary to cmploy a tightly-fitting shutter, which will obscure the light-snch, for instance, as that shown in Figs. 5 and 6, which consists ,of a plate 2, having an opening .2 formed therein and rotating over the surface of the partition Z), in which is the opening 0, through which the light enters the camera. As with this arrangement only one exposure takes place at each revolution of the shaft 0, (to which the shutter is connected by bevel-wheels 5 5 it isnecessary that the crank-disk m should make only one oscillation at each rotation of the said shaft instead of two. Instead, therefore, of driving the said cranledisk through the medium of gear-wheels, as shown in Fig. 4, I advantageously drive it by means of an eccentric z and rod .2, as shown in Fig. 5.

Having now particularly described and as certained the nature of my said invention and in what mannerthe same is to be performed, I declare that what I claim is- I 1. In a kinetograph, the combination with the feed-wheel, and devices for intermittently moving the same, of a locking-wheel connected with said feed-wheel, provided with a series of ratchet-teeth and a notch adjacent to each tooth, a single locking-pawl provided with a portion for engaging said ratchet-teeth and a tooth for engaging said notches,whereby said pawl will lock the feed-wheel against movement in both directions, and means for disengaging said pawl, substantially as described.

2. In a kinetograph, the combination with the feed-wheel, of a ratchet-wheel, and a lockin g-wheel connected therewith, said lockingwheel having a series of ratchet-teeth and a notch adjacent to each of said teeth, a driving-crank disk, a pawl operated thereby for intermittently moving said ratcl1et-wheel, and a single locking-pawl having a portion for engaging the teeth of said locking-wheel, and a tooth for engaging the notches thereof, for lockin g the feedwvheel against movement in both directions, and a projection operated by said driving-crank disk for disengaging said locking-pawl, substantially as described.

3. In a kinetograph, the combination with the feeding and winding-on rollers for the film, and film-feeding mechanism, of a pivoted plate engaging said film between the feeding-roller and the feeding mechanism, said plate being disposed at an angle to the path of the film from said plate to the feeding mechanism and a spring connected to said plate for holding the portion of the film between said plate and the feeding mechanism taut, substantially as described.

4. In a kinetograph, the combination with a screen provided with an aperture therein in line with the path of the film, of a hinged presser-plate adapted to engage said screen and provided with an aperture adapted to register with the aperture in the screen, and a spring engaging said presser-plate whereby the film is constantly pressed by said plate against said screen,substantially as described.

5. In a kinetograph, the combination with the screen provided with an aperture in line with the path of the film, of a hinged presserplate, provided with an aperture adapted to register with the aperture in the screen, a spring for pressing said plate toward the screen, to hold the film in engagement therewith, and a vertical adjusting device formoving said presser-plate vertically,substantially as described.

6. In a kinetograph, the combination with the feed-wheel, of a spring-actuated plate adapted to press the film against said feedwheel, and a locking device for holding said plate out of engagement with said feed-wheel substantially as described.

7. In a kinetograph, the combination with the screen provided with an aperture in line with the path of the film, and lateral guides at each side 01": the line of travel of said film, of a presser-plate hinged to said screen at one side of said aperture and provided with an aperture adapted to register with the aperture in the screen, a spring engaging said plate for constantly pressing itagainst the screen, an adj usting-rod secured to the said presser-plate and a screw-threaded adjusting device for moving said rod and presser-plate vertically to bring said aperture into alinement, substantially as described.

ALFRED VVRENCII.

\Vitnesses:

G. F. REDFERN,. JonN E. BOUSFIELD. 

